The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1887-12-07
TRAPPING THE GRIZZLY.
AN OLD HUNTER TELLS ABOUT
THE DANGERS OF THE SPORT.

NAVhhtei-hoW GFixziy hahaSeS TO
| Get Loose from Trap--A Critical Mo-
mept.
"Thc grizzly BEAR" says Trapper Read,
"next to the Indian, is the ugliest customer
that the hunter, miner or prospector has to
deal with. As far as danger is concerned,
believe there is more in trapping the grizzly
than there is in chasing him with a rifle.
| Our traps are ponderous iron implements, as
heavy as three or four black bear traps and
with jaws SO stiff that it requires two men
using a lever to force them open so they can
be set We attach a strong chain to the trap,
the same as you do for the playthings you
call bear here in the east, but our chains are
strong enough for log chains. At the other
end of the chain is attached an iron ring or
band six or eight inches in diameter. This is
forced, by pounding it with a maui, over the
end Of q log six feet long and big enough
around to make the iron band fit so tightly
around it that it can't be pulled off. When
| grizzly steps on the pan of one of these great
traps and the stiff jaws close on his leg, the
heavy log serves as hindrance to him as he
drags it along by the chain on his retreat to
his haunts in the tangled thickets he favors.
great deal of cunning hes to be used in set
/
most as suspicious as the fox, and will fire.
quontly desert what has the appearance of a
| good meal If he makes up his mind that dan
| ger is lurking near, He never hesitates to
risk danger that he may see positively con-
fronting or challenging him, in the way of
hunter, dog, or anything else but a sus-
picious looking object the nature of which
he cannot understand, is enough to start him
Off about his business and to keep him NOV
ing until he has placed good extent of ter
ritory between him and the mysterious cause
of his fear.
"And what do you suppose is the favorite
food of this fierce and hulking monstera
Ground mice, moles, grubs and crickets.
What do you think of great bloodthirsty
beast, weighing 1900 pounds, hunting and
devouring such insignificant things as theseg
| Yet grizzly bear will do that all day long.
Once l trapped for several days for a big
grizzly that was providing about mining
camp where was staying, but l failed in
every attempt made to lead the willy beast
into my steel. was about to give him up as
q bad job, when heard ground mouse
squealing near where the trap was set, and
made up my mind to give the bear one trial
with few of these little chaps as lures.
After long and tedious search caught a
dozen mice, and covering up my trap care
lessly with some dead branches tied half a
dozen of the mice by strings to pegs i'll the
ground around the trap. When visited the
spot an hour or so later / found Mr. Grizzly
fast, with both of his paws in the trap. The
mice had overcome his fears, and put him
ont of his trouble by loading him with a few
rifle balls. After that would never have
used anything else but ground mice to tempt
grizzlies to my traps, but they are not an
easy thing to get hold of, and had to do
without them except on rare occasions.
ave set our bear traps miles back in the
| gloomy forests, where the grizzly bears love
to have their lairs among the tangled, fallen
timber, over which no one can pass except
on foot, and then only with great difficulty.
| When first went out in the grizzly's coun-
| try, in 1s49, there were no such things as re-
| poating rifles or even breechloades's All
had was heavy single barreled rifle TO do
| my hunting with for several years. To come
upon an ugly grizzly, weighing half a ton or
SO, and probably not only ready but anxious
for fight, was something that meant bust
ness to man with single bnrreled gun.
II believe that the experience Of all grizzly
bear trappers has proved that a grizzly will
invariably escape from a trap IL he is not
overtaken by the hunter within few hours
after being caught. 1t is to lessen the danger
of this that all the skillful trappers fasten the
clog to the trap with the chain on one end OF
it, Some trappers fasten the chain at the
middle OF the log, but that shows that the
man don't know his business. With the
chain fastened at the end of the clog 1t Is
dragged along endwise, and clears all OBJ
structions that would catch and hold it cross
wise II 1t were dragged from the middle
NJ fan xvfll l,e,
by the trap not far from the extremity of
one of his fore paws. Very rarely can It
happen that both paws are in the trap. On
being caught the bear rushes with all the
speed lo can summon, and Ia tremendous
rage toward the nearest swamp or thicket
neither Of which he has to go far to find He
seems TO know that his life depends ON his
speedily Kidding himsely OF the incumbrance
OF the trap. As he tears onward through the
forest he mows great swaths In the under
brush. He drags the trap and clog against
trees, logs and rocks, and whenever some
obstruction helds them fast he tugs and
jerks his imprisoned foot, trying to
tear it loose. II the chain held the
clog in the middle the bear would
not go far before the drag would be caught
between two trees and held securely. Then
one or two determined lunges backward by
the bear with his enormous body would tear
the foot loose, and the grizzly would escape
to tho swamp.
"Thc further grizzly bear goes on his
furious march without Kidding himself of the
trap the greater his rage becomes. II it hap
pens to strike against a tree and does not
hold there be will turn on the tree and tear
its trunk with his teeth, sometimes gnashing
half the trunk away. l have followed the
while they were endeavoring TO free them
selves of their traps, and have counted sap-
ling after sapling chewed to the ground as
completely as IL they had been chopped down
with an AK, the trees being covered with
blood from the wounds made on the mouths
Of the bears in their blind rage.
ITO come up with a half ton grizzly bear
while he is in such condition of temper is
like meeting cyclone. As you follow tho
trail, which is usually long way through
the forest, and probably a mile or more into
O swamp where you can see but q few yards
about you in any direction, you are con-
stantly expecting the bear to rise up some
where and charge upon you like an ava
lanche There have been times when trap
pers have come up with the bear at the very
moment when he has at last succeeded in
tearing loose from the trap Then there is
apt TO be trouble for the trapper unless he IL
as quick as a panther and his gun is true.
The bear makes one wild rush upon his foe.
He ceases to be bear, and is q demon incar-
nate Nothing can stop him but plenty of
lead well poured into him from rifle by a
man who knows just where to pour it, II
that fails to stop the bear or cause him to
falter tho life Of the man he Is after isn't
worth an ounce of powder. He win he torn
to pieces SO quickly that it isn't likely he will
know what disturbed him. l have known Of
moro than ono trapper ending up In that
way, and have heard Of many more. New
York Times
prt tclNuc al EANiNGc